Topic: Veg Oil/Extra Virgin Olive Oil

[rhodriharris]

 I think vegetable oil that i buy at asda is really grapeseed oil as the ingredients say, they just lable it veg oil and yes any veg is vegetable oil.  I just finished a curry with olive oil and man it didn't have any of the taste as veg/grapeseed oil, not even very oily and taste was a bit bland.  Not using olive oil again and it smoked loads during cooking.
  Adriandavid i like your idea of groundnut oil and have some at home from when i used to make bread as it takes very high temps.  I believe you that you don't have to heat some oils very hot for thaem to become unhealthy and the reason why the oil i fry in is so important.  My currys are mainly organic veg, onions, spices etc and hate the fact that i am making it with a bad choice of oil.  At least its stable at higher temperatures which is so important to me, just wish it was more healthy with the fats.
  Ok so i'm down to rice bran oil and virgin coconut oil, both unrefined and i'll pay the difference for virgin coconut oil if it is the best and healthiest.  I can't find any info on virgin coconut oil for frying curries, can it take the high temps without smoking?  Does it impart a taste on the curry?  And does it give that oily look at the end of cooking?
  I want to go with rice bran oil really but coconut oil seems to be a far more nutritious choice so if it stacks up i might be converted and try it.  I do like the idea of ground nut oil though and hadn't thought of it, bet it taste good to fry with it.
  Is there such thing as a healthy safe oil to fry with, must be some kind of miracle oil!

[PaulP]

Hi,

When I used my organic virgin coconut oil I couldn't really taste it in the curries.
Even when I used 450 ml (cost me about 8 quid!) in a 3 litre base it didn't really show as a distinct flavour.

For normal BIR type preparation the coconut oil is fine for frying e.g. frying onions, garlic/ginger, tom puree, spices where you don't need very high temps.

For Asian stir-fry dishes I don't think the oil would be suitable.

Cheers,

Paul

[JerryM]

rhodriharris,

hope you don't mind me asking about the health issues of going past the flame point.

i mostly use veg oil and produce a lot of smoke during the frying.

i certainly won't being changing the way i cook but would like to know what i'm in for and how deep.

[rhodriharris]

  JerryM this is complicated to explain but if the oil is heated too high it can produce carcinogenic sustances which are cancer related (smoke point not flame point).  I didn't want to say this as the 'C' word is very scary and misunderstood.  I doubt the risk is much but my health is the most important thing and can't put a price on it.  Its all to do with the frre redicals produced from most oils at high temps.  I don't want to go into it much futher as everyone needs to come to their own conclusion and with the internet being such a wealth of information i would recomend a few google searches first before listening to me.  I hate sunflower and veg oil as they came out the worst and hope to find an alternative that gives that takeaway taste and is actually good for me.  The problem is that the best tasting curries all seem to be made with veg oil and ghee so replicating their taste is also what i aim for. 
  I'm at a loss as to what to go for next, coconut oil seems great but i'm having difficulties in understanding it!  None of the coconut oils in my local healthfood shops say weather it is virgin coconut oil or wether it has been bleached, deoderised and refined which seems to be another type of coconut oil although all say that they are safe for cooking and frying as well as moisturising the skin.  I just don't want to commit to an oil unless i'm 100 percent certain.
  I am awaiting some rice bran oil if my local chinese shop can obtain it from their suppliers and hopefully someone can shed some light on the musterious coconut oil, i shop at holland and barret so if anyone uses this or can pop into the shop and verify that it is the type i want would be great, its in a green tub for 12.99
  I'm very extreme with healthy cooking and don't expect everyone to share my views about veg/sunflower oil, some people don't mind the hydrogenated fat it contains.  I will be using groundnut oil till i work out my best choice and although not a great healthy oil it certainly does withstand those high temps.
  To all those who love curry but have high cholesterol i am sorry because you have even less choices than me and truly it must be difficult.
 

[Peripatetic Phil]

The real question for me is not which oil to use in curry : I am happy to use any of rice bran, groundnut or grapeseed.  But what oil to use for deep frying (onion bhajis, for example) is another matter, because the quantities involved are considerably greater and therefore price becomes a consideration.  All of rice bran, groundnut and grapeseed are essentially "luxury oils" : sold in small bottles at high prices; which run-of-the-mill oil, I wonder, is best when one needs to buy several litres at a time ?

** Phil.

[solarsplace]

The real question for me is not which oil to use in curry : I am happy to use any of rice bran, groundnut or grapeseed.  But what oil to use for deep frying (onion bhajis, for example) is another matter, because the quantities involved are considerably greater and therefore price becomes a consideration.  All of rice bran, groundnut and grapeseed are essentially "luxury oils" : sold in small bottles at high prices; which run-of-the-mill oil, I wonder, is best when one needs to buy several litres at a time ?

** Phil.

Hi Phil

I use this stuff: http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Oils_And_Vinegar/Tesco_Pure_Sunflower_Oil_3L.html?ShowSwitchSMBar=3

Always get very tasty results.

Cheers

[PaulP]

Hi Rhod,

There are plenty of suppliers of organic virgin coconut oil. Just try a google search.
Be careful not to use any other type of coconut oil, however, as the process of refining coconut oil produces hydrogenated compounds and trans fats making them very unhealthy.

Cheers,

Paul

[Stephen Lindsay]

I do my onion bhajis in bog standard veg or sunflower oil from ASDA and as I do them in a wok, you can get away with using about 1/2 a litre at a cost therefore of around 50p. I also reuse this oil when I am doing my curries.

I never use olive oil in curries because I don't believe it's what BIRs use and it imparts a flavour of it's own which in my opinion is more suited to Mediterranean cooking.

[rhodriharris]

So i need the coconut oil labled 'virgin' to insure it has been untouched?  I will have to order offline as no shops sell the virgin coconut oil, not even holland and barret which is meant to be a good health food shop, they only stock coconut oil which as you say has probably been refined somehow.
I thought rice bran oil would be cheap as i think someone said in a previous post and would therefore be suitable for large quantity deep frying! One other thing to remember about rice bran oil is you can fry in it more than once futher reducing the price as it goes a whole lot futher than veg/sunflower oil which needs changing more reguarly.  Grapeseed oil is cheap in my asda and is lablled both as grapeseed oil and their standard vegetable oil for a quid a litre, just checked it again and sorry to cause any confusion but mine actually says rapeseed and not grapeseed so maybe there is a difference. Correct me if i'm wrong on this.
These posts have been very informative and hoping that coconut oil is the one for me although i am still waiting for the rice bran oil and may use both.

[rhodriharris]

I too agree olive oil and curry don't mix, dosen't give the bir flavour and taste and seems not to fry the curry enough to pull out the bir look and taste.  This is through experimenting with it versus rapeseed/veg oil and veg oil won hands down.  I will never fry curry in olive oil again and like you said it is more suited for mediterranian cooking.  Incedentaly jamie oliver fried potatoes in virgin olive oil yesterday afternoon on his 30 min meal program and he certainly used a very low heat and cooked for a very long time so this is the way olive oil should be used and not for curry. Thanks